Advanced air mobility

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Advanced air mobility (AAM) are systems that incorporate support for next-generation transport such as such as remotely piloted, autonomous, or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. [1] [2] [3] This includes those powered by electric or hybrid-electric propulsion. [4]

Contents

AAM seeks to support unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and sustainable aircraft. This requires the development of physical infrastructure for vertiports as well as highly automated digital infrastructure, i.e. UAS traffic management (UTM). [5]

Volocopter eVTOL aircraft Volocopter at IAA 2017 1.jpg
Volocopter eVTOL aircraft

AAM combines both urban air mobility (UAM), which involves transporting persons and cargo above the traffic within a city and regional air mobility (RAM) which is focused more on connecting suburbs, villages and rural towns as well as islands or adjacent communities separated by mountainous regions. [6] [7] [8] UAM has attracted the majority of investment. [9] AAM expands upon the principles of UAM to applications beyond the urban environment: [10]

In February 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine expanded [3] the scope of the developing UAM concept beyond Manhattan use cases. [11] Since March 2020, UAM has been considered an element of AAM, as defined by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). [12] Four months later, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) formally adopted the term. [10]

According to a May 2021 market valuation by Morgan Stanley, AAM is projected to be worth $1 trillion US dollars by 2040 and up to $9 trillion a decade later. [13] However, consulting firm Drone Industry Insights, which primarily focuses on the commercial drone market, offers a more conservative forecast of $20.8 billion by 2035, with a CAGR of 22.1%. [6]

History

A video depiction of a passenger-carrying eVTOL concept aircraft dubbed Puffin was shared online on November 11, 2009 by NASA scientist Mark Moore. [14] Inspired by Moore’s papers Larry Page funded two eVTOL startups. [15] [16]

In fall 2016, Uber launched project Elevate following a white paper co-authored by Jeff Holden, Nikhil Goel, and Mark Moore, to explore on-demand air transportation. [17] Three years later, Uber Copter services began in New York City using traditional helicopters. [18] Elevate envisioned a multimodal ride service. Annual Elevate summits hosted from 2017-2019 helped develop the eVTOL and UAM markets pursued by dozens of OEMS. [19] [20]

In 2022 Volkswagen's Chinese subsidiary announced plans to build AAM aircraft in Beijing. [21]

Comparisons

NASA acoustic testing concluded that eVTOLs are "vastly quieter than helicopters". [22] McKinsey aerospace expert Kersten Heineke noted that electric aircraft are "completely emission-free". [23] During the pandemic, the number and value of related investments grew markedly. [24]

Manufacturers

Ehang

Chinese DJI Mavic Pro small UAS aka drone Drone Mavic Pro may2020.jpg
Chinese DJI Mavic Pro small UAS aka drone

In 2019, Chinese manufacturer EHang began extensive passenger flight testing with autonomous eVTOLs. [25] [26] The Spanish National Academy of Police in Avila celebrated a successful public maiden flight of the 'EH216-S' by Chinese manufacturer EHang in December 2022, making Spain the first nation in the European Union to operate an eVTOL for public safety. [27]

Germany

EVTOL manufacturers Volocopter and Lilium Jet, ranked 3rd and 4th in the world on the 2022 AAM Reality Index, respectively. [28] As of 2020 Lilium planned to build the first American vertiport outside the City of Orlando, Florida. [29] [30]

Spain

UAV manufacturer Umiles Next tested its prototype 'Integrity3' and demonstrated collision-avoidance systems as part of its U-space initiative. [31] According to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), U-space includes "all the services required to ensure [UAVs] operate effectively, safely, and securely." [32] Spanish multinational corporation Ferrovial ranks 2nd in the world for AAM vertiport infrastructure readiness alongside Urban-Air Port in the UK and BETA in the US. [33]

Supernal

Supernal, a division of Hyundai Motor Group ranks 9th on the 2022 AAM Reality Index. [28] American multinational corporation Honeywell agreed to integrate its Anthem avionics into the Supernal flight deck. [34]

MintAir along with American-Canadian firm Jaunt Air Mobility, signed a letter of intent to collaborate on air taxi development. [35]

Brazil

FlyBIS Aviation, a Brazilian start-up teamed with Eve Air Mobility, a division of Embraer. [36] In 2021, Eve signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EDP Group to share research for optimal charging techniques. [37] Eve Air Mobility ranks 7th on the 2022 AAM Reality Index. [28]

Dufour Aerospace

Aerial footage over Switzerland

Dufour Aerospace earned a 2022 AAM Reality Index score of 5.2 for its "Aero3" aircraft. [28]

Australia

In 2022, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) set out its eVTOL roadmap. [38] Infrastructure group, Skyportz, has been selected to build Australia's first vertiport in Melbourne [39] by 2026. [40]

France

Groupe ADP is constructing 4 vertiport locations in Paris. [33] [41] French multinational corporation Thales Group has agreed to integrate its custom avionics solution into the Eve Air Mobility flight deck. [42] French start-up Ascendance Flight Technologies ranked 15th on the 2022 AAM Reality Index. [28] Airbus Helicopters is developing a flying taxi, CityAirbus NextGen, targeted to begin service between 2026 and 2030. The 2024 Olympic Games presented an opportunity to showcase Volocopter eVTOL air taxi flights. [43]

Heart Aerospace

Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace is developing a hybrid RAM aircraft, earning a 5.1 score in the AAM Reality Index. [28] United Airlines is both a customer and investor. [44]

Japan

In Fall 2021, Honda announced plans to enter the hybrid eVTOL market. [45] Toyota switched its support from a Japanese start-up to Joby Aviation. [46]

The following year, SkyDrive secured a strategic partnership with Volatus Infrastructure to develop AAM vertiports. [47] Japan and the MassDOT Aeronautics Division are the only non-European governmental bodies to commit to AAM principles as UIC2 International City/Region Partners along with communities across 15 European nations. [48] In Summer 2022, Tokyo hosted the inaugural International Advanced Air Mobility Expo. [49] As part of World Expo 2025 in Osaka Japan plans to orchestrate nearly 30,000 eVTOL air taxi flights. [40]

Canada

Canadian simulation technology company CAE Inc. and Volocopter forged a strategic partnership to produce the world's first AAM pilot training curriculum. [50]

VPorts

Construction was to begin in Dubai in 2023 by Canadian vertiport infrastructure group,VPorts, for an Advanced Air Mobility Integrator Center. [51] The center will facilitate eVTOL testing. [52]

United Kingdom

Vertical Aerospace earned an AAM Reality Index score of 7.2, ranking 8th. [28] Virgin Atlantic along with Cranfield University and other industry and academic partners created the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium and earned a £9.5m grant by the UK's Future Flight Challenge. [53] According to the World Economic Forum, Air-One became the world's first operational vertiport when it opened in April 2022 in Coventry. [54]

United States

In 2020, Joby Aviation acquired the rights to Uber's Elevate [55] and in August 2021, the company went public. [56] In 2022, Joby set a new eVTOL speed record, [57] had a prototype crash in rural California, [58] achieved an FAA Part 135 air service certification, [59] and signed Delta Air Lines as investor and strategic partner. [60] As of 2024, Joby tied with Beta Technologies and Volocopter with an industry leading AAM Reality Index score of 8.0, [61] followed by Archer Aviation (7.9), Wisk Aero (7.4), Pipistrel (7.2) among the top ten eVTOL manufacturers. [28] The Federal Aviation Administration was to outline its path to fully operational AAM air taxis before summer 2023. [62] United Airlines invested in both Joby and Volocopter. [44]

The City of Los Angeles published Integrating Advanced Air Mobility: A Primer for Cities. [63]

In November 2023, Volocopter and Joby Aviation tested their respective eVTOLs in New York City, from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport.

Stakeholders

This section lists relevant companies by targeted market segment within the advanced air mobility industry.

Intra-city airborne transportation

Inter-city airborne transportation

While urban and suburban air mobility utilize eVTOL aircraft within a greater metropolitan area, rural and regional air mobility utilize electric short take-off and landing eSTOL aircraft.

Cargo delivery

Public services

Personal vehicles

Public initiatives

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air taxi</span> Small commercial aircraft which makes short flights on demand

The air taxi market is an application of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) – air transportation systems that utilize advanced technologies such as vertical takeoffs, autonomous capabilities, or fully-electric systems – for short to mid range on-demand flights. Many AAM vehicles are designed for Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) or Vertical Takeoff and Landings (VTOL); electric VTOL aircraft are also prominent, known as eVTOLs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal air vehicle</span> Type of aircraft

A personal air vehicle (PAV) is a proposed class of passenger aircraft providing on-demand air transport.

Guangzhou EHang Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd. is a company based in Guangzhou, China that develops and manufactures autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) and passenger AAVs which have entered service in China for aerial cinematography, photography, emergency response, and survey missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passenger drone</span>

A passenger drone is an autonomous aircraft that is designed to carry a small number of passengers to a destination.

Urban air mobility (UAM) is the use of small, highly automated aircraft to carry passengers or cargo at lower altitudes in urban and suburban areas which have been developed in response to traffic congestion. It usually refers to existing and emerging technologies such as traditional helicopters, vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (VTOL), electrically propelled vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (eVTOL), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These aircraft are characterized by the use of multiple electric-powered rotors or fans for lift and propulsion, along with fly-by-wire systems to control them. Inventors have explored urban air mobility concepts since the early days of powered flight. However, advances in materials, computerized flight controls, batteries and electric motors improved innovation and designs beginning in the late 2010s. Most UAM proponents envision that the aircraft will be owned and operated by professional operators, as with taxis, rather than by private individuals.

The Airbus CityAirbus is a multinational project by Airbus Helicopters to produce an electrically powered VTOL personal air vehicle demonstrator. It is intended for the air taxi role, to avoid ground traffic congestion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joby Aviation</span> American aviation company

Joby Aviation is a United States venture-backed aviation company, developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that it intends to operate as an air taxi service. Joby Aviation is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, and has offices in San Carlos, California; Marina, California; and Munich, Germany.

Volocopter GmbH is a German aircraft manufacturer based in Bruchsal and founded by Alexander Zosel and Stephan Wolf. The company specializes in the design of electric multirotor helicopters in the form of personal air vehicles, designed for air taxi use. The CEO is Dirk Hoke and chairman Stefan Klocke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volocopter 2X</span> German helicopter

The Volocopter 2X is a German two-seat, optionally-piloted, multirotor eVTOL aircraft. The personal air vehicle was designed and produced by Volocopter GmbH of Bruchsal, and first introduced at the AERO Friedrichshafen airshow in 2017. The aircraft is sold complete and ready-to-fly. Volocopter was formerly known as E-volo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertical Aerospace</span> British aerospace manufacturer (e. 2016)

Vertical Aerospace Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer based in Bristol, England. It designs and builds zero emission, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electrically powered aircraft.

An electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is a variety of VTOL aircraft that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically. This technology came about owing to major advances in electric propulsion and the emerging need for new aerial vehicles for urban air mobility that can enable greener and quieter flights. Electric and hybrid propulsion systems (EHPS) have also the potential of lowering the operating costs of aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volocopter VoloRegion</span> Proposed personal air vehicle

The VoloRegion is an electrically powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically (eVTOL). It is being developed by the German company Volocopter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archer Aviation</span> American electric aircraft manufacturer

Archer Aviation Inc. is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, California, which is developing eVTOL aircraft.

Eve Air Mobility develops electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and urban air mobility infrastructure. EVE is a brand that was idealized by the innovation division of Embraer called EmbraerX.

Wisk Aero is an aerospace manufacturer based in Mountain View, California, United States. The company develops self-flying electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to be operated as air taxis. The company was formed in 2019 as a partnership between Boeing and Google co-founder Larry Page's Kitty Hawk aircraft company.

JoeBen Bevirt is an American serial entrepreneur and the founder and the chief executive officer of Joby Aviation, a California-based aerospace company. He is the recipient of the 2018 Haueter Award and holds more than 160 U.S. patents in aerodynamics, aircraft design, electric and hydrogen propulsion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volocopter Volocity</span> Proposed personal air vehicle

The VoloCity is an electrically powered aircraft that can fly autonomously and take off and land vertically. It is produced by the German manufacturer Volocopter and is its first series model.

The National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence is a research facility dedicated to studying air mobility and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). It contains 30,000 square feet of administrative, laboratory, meeting, and collaboration space with an additional 25,000 square feet of aircraft hangar space. The facility is located at the Springfield–Beckley Municipal Airport, which is close by to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

TCab Technology Co., Ltd. is a company based in Shanghai, China that develops and manufactures electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The name "TCab" stands for "time taxi." The company produces zero-emission eVTOL aircraft for public use in advanced air mobility (AAM) air ridesharing services.

Veronte Autopilot is a family of autopilot systems developed by Embention, a Spanish company specializing in safety-critical avionics for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Known for its advanced control capabilities, the Veronte Autopilot systems are designed to meet stringent reliability and certification requirements, allowing their integration into both manned and unmanned aircraft.

References

  1. ↑ Advanced Air Mobility Institute. https://aaminstitute.org/mission
  2. ↑ Gipson, Lillian (January 27, 2021). "Advanced Air Mobility Mission Overview". NASA.
  3. 1 2 “Advancing Aerial Mobility: A National Blueprint” National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. 2020.
  4. ↑ "Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act". congress.gov. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  5. ↑ Gipson, Lillian (31 August 2018). "UAS Traffic Management (UTM) Project". NASA. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  6. 1 2 Alvarado, Ed (2023-02-03). "The Vision of Advanced Air Mobility: eVTOLs, Drone Delivery, Vertipots and UTM". Drone Industry Insights.
  7. ↑ “Urban Air Mobility and Advanced Air Mobility”. Federal Aviation Administration. United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  8. ↑ “Regional Air Mobility: Leveraging our National investments to energize the American Travel Experience”. NASA. April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Urban Air Mobility" (PDF). NASA. November 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Urban Air Mobility and Advanced Air Mobility". Federal Aviation Administration. United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Banke, Jim (23 March 2020). “One Word Change Expands NASA's Visions for Future Airspace Mobility” NASA. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Hill, Brian (2 December 2020). “UAM Vision Concept of Operations (ConOps) UAM Maturity Level (UML) 4”. NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  13. ↑ {{cite web|url=https://advisor.morganstanley.com/the-busot-group/documents/field/b/bu/busot-group/Electric%20Vehicles.pdf |title=Urban Air Mobility TAM Update: A Slow Take-Off, But Sky's the Limit|author=Morgan Stanley Research |date=6 May 2021|access-date= 4 January 2023}
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  15. ↑ "Uber Hires Veteran NASA Engineer to Develop Flying Cars". Bloomberg.com. 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  16. ↑ "Larry Page is quietly amassing a 'flying car' empire". The Verge. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
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  18. ↑ Vora, Shivani (2019-06-05). "Uber Copter to Offer Flights From Lower Manhattan to J.F.K." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
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  27. ↑ "EHang AAV Begins Trial Operations for Spanish National Police". December 16, 2022.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Index, Advanced Air Mobility Reality. "Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index December 2022 Release". Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index.
  29. ↑ Mark, Rob (December 8, 2020). "Lilium's Electric Air Taxi Will Build First US Vertiport in Orlando".
  30. ↑ "Electric jet aims for Lake Nona as the nation's 1st 'vertiport' for flying taxi service". Orlando Sentinel.
  31. ↑ Welsh, Jonathan (November 3, 2022). "Umiles Next Begins Flight-Testing eVTOL Air Taxi's Autonomous Systems".
  32. ↑ Butterworth-Hayes, Philip; Butterworth-Hayes, Philip (October 22, 2022). "EASA provides new overview of U-space services and concept".
  33. 1 2 "Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index".
  34. ↑ "Honeywell to supply Hyundai's Supernal with Anthem avionics". 18 October 2022.
  35. ↑ "MintAir and Jaunt Air Mobility Form Strategic Partnership and Sign eVTOL Letter of Intent for South Korean Advanced Air Mobility Market" (Press release). 29 August 2022.
  36. ↑ "Eve Partners with Brazil's FlyBIS to Develop AAM in South America". 12 December 2022.
  37. ↑ "BNamericas - Develop your Latin America business".
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  39. ↑ "Victoria Seeks Advanced Air Mobility Leadership Role in Australia".
  40. 1 2 "Flying Taxis: Beyond Paris, Onwards to L.A (Part 4) - eVTOL Insights". 12 July 2022.
  41. ↑ "Paris Region Advanced Air Mobility Alliance". 8 August 2024.
  42. ↑ "Embraer's Eve Air Mobility Partners with Thales". 21 April 2022.
  43. ↑ "Quiet eVTOL Flights Will be the Benchmark for Olympic Gold at Paris 2024 Games".
  44. 1 2 "United adds Eve Mobility as AAM partner in multimillion-dollar deal". 8 September 2022.
  45. ↑ "Honda announces plans for hybrid eVTOL aircraft". www.compositesworld.com. 6 October 2021.
  46. ↑ "Air mobility startup highlights Toyota's venture strategy". 30 September 2021.
  47. ↑ "SkyDrive, Volatus Partner on Vertiport Infrastructure | Aviation Week Network".
  48. ↑ "MassDOT Aeronautics Division joins UIC2 and supports the UIC2 Manifesto on the Multilevel Governance of the Urban Sky | Smart Cities Marketplace".
  49. ↑ "Japan's Advanced Air Mobility future".
  50. ↑ "CAE Develops AAM Mixed-reality Trainer".
  51. ↑ "Dubai Advanced Air Mobility 'Integrator Center' Will Support eVTOL Aircraft Operations in the UAE".
  52. ↑ "Dubai to house world's first advanced air mobility integrator centre for flying cars".
  53. ↑ "Advanced air mobility ecosystem launched in the UK - Aerospace Manufacturing". 18 July 2022.
  54. ↑ "The world's first airport for flying cars and drones has just landed". 28 April 2022.
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